Directed by: Whit Stillman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny, Stephen Fry, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Tom Bennett, Morfydd Clark
Movies based on Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, or other classic writers work because more is revealed by what is not said instead of what is said. The characters speak plenty of words, but not the ones which cut to the chase. The better films turn this into high drama or comedy. There is an emotional tug to pull the story along. Love & Friendship, based on an unfinished Austen novella published after her death, looks the same as a Howard's End or A Room with a View and the characters speak in elliptical, well-mannered conversations, but it does not establish an emotional connection. There are no elusive, unspoken, unrequited loves to sink our teeth into. Love & Friendship is a more practical, less idealistic film about people who marry in order to secure their financial futures. This was more or less the basis of most marriages back in the days of King George III reign. If they happen to love each other, then that's a bonus. But, it doesn't translate into a substantial or juicy film.
I'll stick to the main plotlines, since there are many tangents. The main plot focuses on Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale), a widow with a daughter in boarding school and no real income. She is what passes for poor in these parts of turn of the 19th century England. Lady Susan is made a welcome guest at her in-laws' estate in the English countryside. In other words, she gets the spare bedroom.
Lady Susan isn't keen on living out her days in other people's spare bedrooms, so she attempts to manipulate her way into the mind and heart of eligible younger bachelor Reginald DeCourcy (Samuel). At first, she succeeds in her scheme, but further complications follow which I will not divulge here.
Lady Susan's only confidante she can trust is Alicia Johnson (Sevigny), an American married to a wealthy Englishman (Fry). He threatens Alicia with moving back to Connecticut if she doesn't cease contact with Lady Susan. Since Alicia is not keen on returning to Hartford, she covertly meets with her friend to discuss her plotting. Alicia frets that her husband is not going to die anytime soon and somewhat envies that her friend's husband indeed did. Further complicating matters is the return of Lady Susan's daughter Frederica (Clark), a gifted singer who was kicked out of school and does not want the attention of Sir James Martin (Bennett), who wishes to marry her.
Along with Beckinsale, Bennett gives the best performance in Love & Friendship. He is not the brightest bulb in the batch. Reginald refers to him as a blockhead. But he is kind, eager to please, and lonely for companionship. We like him and he leaves an impression. He is not afraid to make an error or speak out of school. Frederica does not wish to marry him despite her mother's self-serving pleas to reconsider. Lady Susan even goes so far as to quote the fourth commandment "Honor Thy Mother and Father" as an attempt to manipulate her daughter into marrying Martin.
Lady Susan's scheming nearly caves in on her as she tries to keep all of the balls juggled in the air. But she perseveres and everyone gets the partner he or she deserves, if not wants. Beckinsale has the juiciest role and takes advantage of it. There is a lot of improper behavior going on underneath all of the proper sounding conversations. Beckinsale masterfully maneuvers through the verbiage so we can understand what's going on and why. The one thing you can safely say about these characters is that they are never stuck for conversation.
The title of the film is ironic because there is little love and even less friendship. The world these characters inhabit is governed by an unwritten social etiquette. A woman who actually deigns to cry and express her despair openly about her cheating husband is viewed in a worse light than the husband. The men are able to excuse their poor behavior with explanations of "acting according to their biology", while women are not afforded the same luxury. There are a great many things that are frowned upon. Actually writing down these unspoken rules would require a book the size of Moby Dick.
I admired the performances. Beckinsale and Bennett stand out, but the others deftly handle the long, elliptical conversations. However, even with all of the words and the scheming and the treachery, we are left rather apathetic to the whole endeavor. Love & Friendship looks like a period romance and sounds like one, but it doesn't engage our emotions like one should.
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